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Satara
Guide to accommodation in the greater Kruger Park area
Satara Main Camp
Location in Kruger Park
Kruger National Park
Satara Main Camp
Satara is a busy camp, and not without reason. It is situated in an excellent game viewing area, with the bush relatively open and the animals plentiful and diverse. The camp itself has a rustic charm, with the bulk of the accommodation set out in a series of circles. The camp is well wooded and the daytime bird-life is prolific. At night the clink of fruit bats is fused with the chirping of cicadas and crickets. The call of owls and nightjars add to the symphony that is punctuated intermittently by the whoop of hyena, the screech of jackal and the pout of lion.
Satara is regarded as one of the best game viewing areas in the park and is particularly noted for cats, with lion, leopard and cheetah being recorded regularly. General game includes blue wildebeest, Burchell’s zebra, waterbuck, giraffe and the ubiquitous impala. Rhino, buffalo and elephant are also easily seen. Of the smaller animals, the honey badger is something to look out for. At night spotted hyena regularly whoop from the camp’s perimeter while the repetitive sonar chink of fruit bats blends with the chirp of cicada and cricket.
Satara, like other camps, has a plethora of resident birds. Particularly prominent are Redbilled Buffalo Weaver, Glossy, Greater Blue-eared and Burchell’s Starling and Mourning Dove. At night Giant Eagle, Barn, Scops and Pearlspotted Owls can be seen and heard in camp. The open plains to the north of the camp are a good place to record Montagu’s and Pallid Harrier. The N’wanedzi Picnic Site (24 km from Satara) is worth visiting. Violeteared Waxbill, Yellowbellied Bulbul, Mocking Chat are regulars here, while Shafttailed Whydah has been seen nearby. There is also a viewing platform that provides an elevated view down on the N’wanedzi River. About 2 km from N’wanedzi on the S37 Road the Sweni Bird Hide is well worth stopping at. In winter, when water levels are low, and rocks, mud-banks and reeds are exposed, the site is exceptionally active bird-wise, with many passerines coming to drink and joining the ubiquitous Hammerkop, Greenbacked Heron and Great White and Little Egrets. In summer, after heavy rain, the high water levels reduce the bird-life. However, it is an excellent venue to see Bluecheeked Bee-eater that is regularly in attendance here.
Satara, like most camps, has been artificially well wooded. The surrounding vegetation is knob thorn /marula savannah on basalt soils. A few kilometres west there is an intrusion of ecca shales soil which hosts very sweet grass often overgrazed. This intrusion also hosts Delagoa thorn thickets. To the east, the N’wanetsi region lies in Lebombo Mountain Bushveld on rhyolite soils. Tree euphorbia and red bushwillow are prevalent.
Accommodation at Satara
Guest Houses
- Wells: 6-bed (3 rooms with 2 beds each)
- Stanley: 9-bed (3 rooms with 3 beds each)
- Frankel: Please confirm with reception.
All guest houses are fully equipped, with en-suite bathrooms, kitchen, lounge, dining room and television.
Guest Cottages
5 or 6-bed units with well equipped kitchens and two bedrooms with 3 beds each (in the case of the 6 bed units). One bedroom has a bathroom en-suite (bath, toilet, and washbasin), and there is a separate toilet, shower and washbasin. The kitchen has a gas stove (with oven), fridge/freezer combination, sink, cooking utensils, crockery and cutlery.
Bungalows
2 or 3-bed rooms with communal kitchen. Bungalows are equipped with ablutions (most with showers, but some with baths) and some with air-conditioning. Some units have both hotplates and sinks, some only have sinks. You have a choice of kitchenette or communal kitchen. There is one luxury bungalow which has 2 beds with one sleeper couch.
Campsites
Tent or caravan sites, with power point, communal ablutions and cooking facilities, maximum of 6 persons per site.
Day visitors
Satara has a designated day visitor area where day visitors and visitors from other camps can braai (barbecue) and picnic. As one enters the gate, it is reached by turning to the left.
Facilities
- Public Telephones
- Post Box
- Basic First Aid Assistance
- Nhuthwa Restaurant
Like the Shangaan namesake, the giraffe, this restaurant is peaceful and tranquil allowing for 55 seats on our patio and 88 seats in the restaurant itself. Our “African” ambiance begins with lighting mounted on kudu horns & enclosed in ostrich eggs providing a subtle, soft tone of light, broken only by the flicker of the lamps on each table. Crisp linen and neat cutlery dresses our tables, with Livingstone's African safari chairs, allowing one to sit in peace and comfort as the meal begins…No pleasure is spared as our chefs talk you through the seven wonders of our “African pots”.
- Cafeteria
- Shop
- Emergency Road Service
- Laundromat
- Petrol Station
- Communal Kitchens
- Cutlery and Plates Hamper
- Day Visitor Picnic Area
- Eco Information Centre
- Film Auditorium
- Jungle Gym for children
- Picnic Facilities
- TV’s in guest house only
- Public swimming pool
Activities
- Morning, Sunset and Night Drives
- Morning and Day Walks
- Guided Bush Walks and Drives (in the company of trained field guides)
- Sweni Bird Hide
- Ratel Pan Bird Hide (Piet Grobler Dam)
- Sweni Wilderness Trail
- Mananga Adventure Trail
- Through prior arrangement with the camp, catered traditional dances can be organised
- Picnic Sites in Kruger National Park
- Wildlife films
These activities will ensure an exciting bush experience. All bookings as well as further details for these activities are available from reception.
Extra Information
- Plan your trip – do not try and cover too great a distance. Kruger is a massive tract of land and frequently visitors try to cover too much ground. Slow travel and regular stopping produces much more action than covering a lot of ground.
- Early mornings and evening time are usually the most productive game viewing periods.
- Remember to bring a camera, binoculars, bird and wildlife reference books, a hat and sunscreen lotion. Also remember to take along medicines such as anti-histamine and lotion for insect stings and bites.
- Do not leave any food unattended, as thieving monkeys and baboons are a constant threat.
- The speed limit is 50 km/h on tar and 40 km/h on gravel.
- Visitors are not permitted to leave their vehicle other than at designated get out points and rest camps.
- Pets are not permitted in a national park.
- Firearms must be declared at the entrance gate and sealed. The seal will be broken upon departure.
- Open vehicles must obtain the necessary permit.
- Feeding of the animals is strictly prohibited for yours and the animal’s safety and well-being.
- Kruger is a malaria zone. See Malaria Map / Info for further details.
Climate
Kruger Park lies in a summer rainfall area with possible downpours occurring later in the day. The summer months (October to April) are hot. Winter’s are warm and mild, with very cool evenings.
Gate Hours
| Gate Times | Nov-Jan | Feb | Mar & Oct | Apr | May-July | Aug-Sept |
| Park Gates Open | 05:30 | 05:30 | 05:30 | 06:00 | 06:00 | 06:00 |
| Camp Gates Open | 04:30 | 05:30 | 05:30 | 06:00 | 06:00 | 06:00 |
| Park& Camp Gates Close | 18:30 | 18:30 | 18:00 | 17:30 | 17:30 | 18:00 |
